Anionic surfactants are well known and have been used in a variety of applications, including for instance in cleaners and detergents. Common anionic surfactants, such as linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and alcohol sulfates (for example sodium lauryl sulfate), however, have poor solubilities in cold water or hard water, and in caustic. So too do alkyl glycerol sulfonate (AGS) surfactants prepared from, for example, epichlorohydrin, a linear alkyl alcohol, and sodium sulfite. This lack of solubility limits the formulation options and the performance of these surfactants.
Providing anionic surfactants with an improved spectrum of properties, such as high solubility in cold, hard, caustic and ionic water while maintaining high surface activity remains a challenge for anionic surfactants.